The Aussie dollar was a fraction firmer at $0.7191, having touched a top of $0.7205 overnight. That left it 1.2 percent higher for the week and a world away from last week's "flash crash" low of $0.6715. The kiwi dollar was steady at $0.6792 after it stopped short of resistance around $0.6817, but was still up 0.7 percent for the week.
The Aussie got a domestic lift from data showing retail sales just pipped forecasts with a rise of 0.4 percent in November, suggesting consumer spending picked up somewhat after a very soft third quarter. Ten-year Australian government bond futures eased 1 tick on Friday to 97.6700, leaving them down 9.5 ticks for the week. The three-year contract dipped 1.5 ticks to 98.185, but was off just a fraction for the week.
New Zealand government bond yields nudged up around 2 ticks across the curve on Friday. "The risk to our Q4 consumption input into economic growth is now skewed a little to the upside," said Robert Thompson, macro rates strategist at RBC Capital Markets.